Oral Sex, Snooki, and Sexual Harassment

The quick and dirty about what's been going on around the Ancient Eight (and other schools too).

Over a week ago, the University of North Florida's student newspaper reported on new studies implicating oral sex as a potential cause of throat cancer. But the newspaper's cover, depicting a man going down on a half-naked woman, generated more controversy than the content itself. According to The Florida Times-Union, the university's president, John Delaney, called the picture distasteful and inappropriate and said that he had received many complaints about the cover photo, mostly from women. Facebook later flagged the profile of the online editor of Spinnaker after he posted the cover on his wall.

Columbia University voted on Friday to support the return of ROTC to its campus. The resolution, which passed with an overwhelming majority, said that "Columbia University welcomes the opportunity to explore mutually beneficial relationships with the Armed Forces of the United States, including participation in the programs of the Reserve Officers Training Corps." Elite universities such as Columbia and Harvard expelled ROTC amidst anti-war sentiment during the Vietnam War era and maintained the ban as a result of the military's policy barring gays and lesbians from serving openly.

Harvard announced last month that it would officially recognize ROTC on campus, and officials at other Ivy League universities such as Yale and Brown have indicated that they are considering changing their policies.

Rutgers University recently paid reality star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi $32,000 to speak on campus. In front of a mostly-female audience, Snooki reportedly spoke on fist pumping, her signature "pouf" hairstyle, and GTL. According to the Star Ledger, Snooki, when asked for advice for Rutger students, said, "Study hard, but party harder." Snooki received more money for her appearance than Toni Morrison will when she delivers the University's commencement address next month. University officials will reportedly pay the Nobel Prize winning novelist $30,000, $2,000 less than the tanned reality star's paycheck.

Yale University is under federal investigation after students filed complaints that the university has a "hostile sexual environment," according to the New York Post. Sixteen students filed a complaint in March alleging that the university failed to address incidents of sexual harassment. They cite, among other incidents, an evening last October when Yale-affiliated fraternity members stood outside a freshman dorm chanting, "No Means yes! Yes means anal!" Officials at Yale indicated that the university would cooperate with the investigation, which is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.